The present invention relates to spraying apparatus for use by painters, and more particularly to a novel attachment for use with a spray pole gun which permits selective manual pivoting of a spray nozzle mounted at the end of the pole.
In the commercial painting industry, it has been found particularly advantageous to utilize so-called pole guns for painting exterior and interior wall surfaces of homes, buildings, large storage tanks, etc. Pole guns generally include some type of paint conducting elongate tube having a spray nozzle mounted at one end thereof. Mounted adjacent the opposite end is a handle provided with a controllable valve operable for selectively metering paint, under pressure, from a pumping source through the elongate tube for discharge from the spray nozzle. Such pole guns are manufactured with elongate tubes in various lengths so that a painter may stand on a floor surface and suitably position the spray nozzle at some high or difficult to reach area to be painted. Use of a pole gun as described may eliminate the requirement of ladders and the time necessary to position ladders, scaffolding or the like.
It has also been found advantageous to provide a spray nozzle at the end of the elongate tube which may be pivoted about an axis extending generally transversely to the longitudinal axis of the elongate tube. However, prior art spray pole guns generally utilize spray nozzles which are pivotally mounted to the elongate tube by means of a clamp or set screw. Thus, if a painter seeks to adjust the angular position of the spray nozzle relative to the elongate tube, the painter must lower the elongate tube so that the spray nozzle is adjacent his hands in order to provide the necessary adjustment. This is particularly disadvantageous when it is realized that a painter will extend the elongate tube, apply paint by manipulation of the controllable valve, and then must return the elongate tube with the spray nozzle adjacent his hands in order to adjust the spray nozzle.
If the elongate tube is of substantial length, it can be appreciated that the painter must constantly be extending the elongate tube, and then depending upon an area to be painted, must return the tube adjacent the floor surface for adjusting the angle of the spray nozzle as required. This repetitive chore becomes time consuming and wearisome because it involves extending the pole gun, returning same for spray nozzle adjustment, etc. Considerable downtime in actual paint application is the result.
A typical example of a spray gun suffering from the above-described deficiencies is disclosed in Davis, U.S. Pat. No. 3,915,382, which describes an extension spray gun having a telescopically extendible pole with a spray nozzle secured to one end thereof. The spray nozzle is pivotally mounted to the end of the spray pole but includes a fastener in the form of a wing nut which must be manually loosened and re-tightened in order to adjust the requisite angularity of the spray nozzle relative to the pole. Another similarly defective example of a spraying device utilizing a pole and nozzle is Paasche, U.S. Pat. No. 1,511,361. That patent also discloses an elongate pole having a nozzle which may be selectively adjusted but only after the pole is returned from an extended position so that a painter may manually loosen a clamping nut, provide the necessary adjustment, and then tighten the nut.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a spraying apparatus, utilizing an elongate tube having a spray nozzle pivotally mounted adjacent one end thereof and a handle mounted adjacent the other end with an improvement including an attachment or orienting means mounted adjacent the handle operable by the painter for selectively positioning the spray nozzle, relative to the elongate tube, about a pivot axis extending generally perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the elongate tube. With the orienting means mounted adjacent the handle, it can be readily appreciated that a painter may position the spray nozzle adjacent some distant location for spraying action and then, without returning the nozzle adjacent to the painter, may selectively position the nozzle to effect a desired angular position for suitable spraying action.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a spraying apparatus, as described above, wherein the orienting means includes a rotatable member for gripping by the painter coupled by an elongate means, such as a cable, to the spray nozzle for transferring rotational action from the rotational member to the spray nozzle.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a first pulley means connected to the rotatable member and rotatable therewith which is interconnected by the cable to a second pulley means connected to the spray nozzle. Thus, upon rotation of the rotatable member by a painter, the first pulley means transfers this action through the cable means to the second pulley means which, in turn, rotates the spray nozzle to a selected position.
These and additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood after a consideration of the drawings and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment.